The subject of the present invention is a canopy which can be inflated, deployed and retracted by means of inflation and deflation, respectively.
Generally speaking, inflatable canopies comprise a plurality of longitudinal beams placed side by side, means for sliding at least one end of the beams along at least one deployment and refolding path and means for supplying the beams with pressurized fluid.
This type of canopy is designed, amongst other things, to allow its deployment by simple inflation and its retraction by deflation, which makes it possible, at will, to cover over a space in order to protect it against bad weather and to uncover it in fine weather.
Such a canopy may be used temporarily to cover over diverse installations such as, for example, a stadium or a swimming pool.
An inflatable canopy in which each beam includes two opposite panels forming a flange and each constituting one of the lobes of the inner and outer wall of the canopy and two lateral panels forming the web of the beam is known, more particularly, from FR-A2,621,944.
The means for supplying each beam with inflation fluid are formed by at least one conduit passing through the beams and being extendible in terms of its length, its drawing-out and its retraction being controlled by the deployment and retraction, respectively, of the canopy.
In this canopy, the supply conduit is common to all the beams and communicates with each of the beams via an orifice which can be closed off and is controlled by closing-off means and the supply conduit passes through, in a leaktight manner, an opening made in each of the panels of the beams.
An inflatable beam in which the sliding means of the beams are formed by a pressurized-fluid-conveying channel for the inflation or deflation of the beams communicating, firstly, at at least one of its ends with the pressurized-fluid-supply means and, secondly, with the inside of at least one inflatable beam via at least one orifice made in the wall of the channel and equipped with closing-off means is also known from FR-A-2,734,856.
The closing-off means are formed by leaktight gates associated with means for controlling their opening or their closing.
However, a structure of this type poses problems of leaktightness and is complex because of the design of the inflation or deflation means and the closing-off means.
The subject of the invention is therefore a canopy which can be inflated, deployed and retracted by inflation and deflation, respectively, the canopy comprising:
a plurality of inflatable beams arranged side by side;
means for supplying the inflatable beams with pressurized fluid;
means for sliding the beams along at least one deployment or refolding path formed by a rigid beam passing, in a leaktight manner, through these beams and forming a fluid-conveying channel linked to the pressurized-fluid-supply means;
at least one orifice made in the wall of the rigid beam placing the pressurized-fluid-supply means in communication with the inner space of the inflatable beams;
means for the leaktight linking of the adjacent walls of the contiguous inflatable beams around the rigid beam;
means for spacing, around the rigid beam, the walls of the upper inflatable beam;
at least one bearing element of the inflatable beams; characterized in that the canopy includes means for successive positioning of the inner space of each inflatable beam opposite the orifice of the rigid beam to guarantee inflation of the beams by the pressurized fluid from the upper beam to the lower beam and their deflation from the lower beam to the upper beam.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the means for successive positioning of the inner space of each inflatable beam opposite the orifice are actuated automatically by the flow of pressurized fluid supplying the inflatable beams,
the orifice of the rigid beam is located opposite the inner space of the upper beam in the deflated state of the inflatable beams and opposite the inner space of the lower beam in the inflated state of the inflatable beams,
the means for successive positioning of the inner space of each inflatable beam are formed by at least one wedge associated with the stacking of the inflatable beams and arranged in the vicinity of the rigid beam,
the wedge is formed by an inflatable cushion, which can be retracted by deflation, communicating with the pressurized-fluid-supply means or with the outside air via a three-way valve,
the pressurized-fluid-supply means of the cushion are formed by the pressurized-fluid-supply means of the inflatable beams,
the wedge is formed by a superposition of inflatable cushions which can be retracted by deflation, each cushion being connected separately, by means of a valve, to a pressurized-fluid-supply source,
the means for successive positioning of the inner space of each inflatable beam are formed by at least one ram arranged between the lower beam and the corresponding bearing element and below the means for leaktight linking of the lower wall of the beam around the rigid beam;
the positioning means also comprise at least one auxiliary wedge arranged in the inner space of an inflatable beam and in the vicinity of the rigid beam, the auxiliary wedge being formed by an inflatable cushion, which can be retracted by deflation, communicating with the inner space of the inflatable beam located above;
at least one communication orifice is made between two contiguous inflatable beams, equipped with a non-return valve arranged above this orifice and displaceable between an open position placing the inner spaces of the contiguous inflatable beams in communication and a closed position closing off the orifice;
the pressurized-fluid-supply means are formed by an exhauster including a delivery orifice and an aspiration orifice and by a member for reversing the direction of flow of the fluid formed by a hose intended to be connected to one of the orifices and including a non-return valve;
the canopy includes at least one cushion for lifting the upper beam during refolding of the canopy, the cushion being inflatable and retractable by deflation and being arranged between the upper inflatable beam and the corresponding bearing element.